MediaTek, a leading global fabless semiconductor company on Thursday held a first-of-a-kind partner forum on advancements in smartphone artificial intelligence and what intelligent experiences consumers in India can expect on their devices.

MediaTek is a first mover in bringing premium features such as Multi-core APU, face detection, gaming, voice-assistant, shopping and many more AI features to mid-range smartphones, thanks to its cutting-edge technology. Companies joining the MediaTek forum and leading the AI experience include Facebook, Google and smartphone manufacturers like Realme along with other industry leaders. Together the companies discussed the future of AI, their current platforms and technologies, and how AI can change and enhance ways consumers use and interact with devices.

AI is quickly becoming a game-changer, advancing at a rapid pace, reshaping technology we use in our homes, workplaces and cities, bringing us new experiences and changing the way we interact. With this vision in the backdrop, MediaTek showcased AI-enabled technologies like deep-learning facial detection, real-time beautification with novel overlays, object and scene identification, AR/MR acceleration, real-time enhancements and augmentations to photography or video and much more.

T L Lee, General Manager, Wireless Communication, MediaTek, said: “As the industry leader in developing powerful and efficient system-on-chip products, MediaTek is enabling the future of AI by creating an ecosystem of Edge-AI hardware processors across its product range -- from smartphones to smart homes, wearables, IoT and connected cars. The future of AI-enhanced devices is dramatic and the potential is yet to be fully realized. We are confident that sophisticated AI applications will keep bringing newer user experiences and change the world of smartphones in India.”

Facebook India Mobile Partnership Manager Ajay Chhabra explained how FB is using AI to enhance its users’ experience with the help of cloud and on-device machine learning. Facebook’s own machine-learning frame works -- Caffe2 and PyTorch– help enhance vision applications, accurate translations, and make smart recommendations for users. Chhabra also talked about the significance of MediaTek’s participation in Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX) to drive AI innovation and support the evolution of its Edge-AI platform. The open ecosystem allows AI developers to build mass market AI applications.

Vivek Joshi, Head of Android Partner Engineering (India) from Google shared how MediaTek’s NeuroPilot platform gives smartphone developers the environment to leverage AI capabilities of the chip along with Google Android Neural Networks API. This means developers using the Android NN API is assured their software also works across MediaTek platforms.

Speaking at the event Madhav Seth, CEO, Realmesaid, “We are excited to associate with MediaTek Helio P60 in India for the launch of our first smartphone Realme 1 which has received the highest ratings on Amazon. MediaTek’s multi-core AI processor has enhanced Realme 1’s technology in AI Shot combining exciting photography features such as Vivid Bokeh, AI Beauty, AR Stickers and AI scene recognition. Realme 1 is powered by AI Battery Management and Color OS 5.0.”

The partner participants discussed how the rapid evolution of AI-enhanced applications are defining the way devices are being created and used. This shift in demand, as well as the increasing capability of AI technologies, is driving demand for new premium devices – ones with great technology but at affordable prices.